Maps of Disaster

Day 1 Guiding Question: How can the use of information connected to maps (GIS) help us see relationships between different types of data or information?

Direct Instruction: 

Show students Youtube Videos of a recent earthquake and a recent hurricane. These are possible video options:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMW8Rg2TTqs
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAlj_NUjgjs

After watching the videos, have students at table groups generate some questions that they would like to know about the events. Tell them we are going to use GIS to find some answers to similar questions. 

Guided Practice: Teacher demonstrates the use of the ARCGIS program to look at natural disaster data. The teacher will show students how to find and add layers to the basemap.

Specific map layers can be found by search for Earthquakes and Hurricanes or other disaster after clicking Add Layers, then clicking Browse Living Atlas Layers. Specific layers that can be helpful are World Population Estimate, Recent Earthquakes, Major Earthquakes, Earthquake Faults, Earthquake Risk, Major Global Cyclones, NOAA Tornado Tracks, Map layers can be layered over top of each other to connect data

Teachers should demonstrate how students should use the maps to fill out one of the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning columns on the Report Sheet. They should also show students how to use a Snipping Tool to snip pictures of the maps to put into their electronic data sheet. 

Independent Practice:Students will use the ARCGIS software to gather information to fill out the attached sheet. The students must provide a claim, evidence (from the GIS maps) and reasoning for the following questions for Earthquakes, Hurricanes, or another natural disaster (mudslide/avalanche, tornado, wildfire, tsunami, flood).

1. Where in the world do these events primarily occur?
2. Do these events occur frequently around the Earth?
3. Is a lot of the world wide population exposed to risk of these events? 

Closing/Reflection: Have students share the information that they gathered with their table group so they can compare information and make potential adjustments to their written document.

Day 2Guiding Question: Can natural disasters be predicted or prevented and if not how can they be mitigated?

Direct Instruction: Reflecting on what they learned the day before ask students to discuss this focus question:What are some important things to consider about keeping natural events from becoming "disasters?"

Have one person from each group shares the information out to the whole group and have the teacher or another student record the ideas for all to see. (Anticipated questions/ideas are: are there ways to predict these things are going to happen, how many people live in those areas, what are the buildings and roads like in that area, are there any early warning systems, is there a way to evacuate people, are there ways to shelter people, are there ways to rescue people)

Now tell students that they are going to do some research to help answer the questions from above. 

Guided Practice:

• Click on one or two of the sites and show students how to navigate through multiple layers of information. 
• Show students how to take some notes before they write their summary on the Report Sheet. 
• Librarian delivers mini lesson on how to use Supplemental Resources.

Independent Practice: They will use the internet to collect some data to answer the question "Explain ways that these events can be predicted, prevented or mitigated.", and add that to their Report Sheet. 

Recommended internet sites are:

• http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/earthquake
• https://www.ready.gov/earthquakes
• http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/ready.php
• https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes

Closing/Reflection: Have students share the information that they gathered with their table group so they can compare information and make potential adjustments to their written document.